Although Genshin Impact 2.6 has added a lot, the new update also brought at least one change that players haven't been happy about - a Yae Miko nerf. Only recently added as a playable character in Genshin Impact 2.5, Yae Miko is a 5-star Electro user that many people were excited to pull for and recruit to their teams. She has frequently ranked in S-tier categories since her introduction, but the new update has changed the way her Sesshou Sakura Elemental Skill works.
It's not unusual for HoYoverse to change the way certain moves work. Genshin Impact is frequently updated, so balances for characters and combat are to be expected. However, the game has typically altered things that fans have asked for - like the Geo buffs and changes to Zhongli - rather than tinkering with characters most players seem to enjoy. Because of this, the Yae Miko nerf in Genshin Impact 2.6 is especially disappointing.
On the surface, it may seem like the change to Yae Miko's Sesshou Sakura isn't that big of a deal, but it actually changes the way her C2 works in a major way. The changes to Yae Miko were part of beta leaks that showed up online earlier in the month from multiple leakers, including UBatcha on Twitter. This showed that the Elemental Skill would now prioritize the "nearest" enemies over "random" ones. The change to Yae Miko's Sesshou Sakura, then, is a problem because of her Constellations, and specifically her C2.
Currently, Yae Miko's C2 reads that "Sesshou Sakura start at Level 2 when created, their max level is increased to 4, and their attack range is increased by 60%." Since Yae Miko's Elemental Skill now hits the nearest enemies rather than random ones, it greatly diminishes how many foes the totems could theoretically hit. A post on Reddit details the C2 problem further and can be viewed below:
Another major problem here is that players have spent a lot of time, Primogems, and even real money building Yae Miko. Getting duplicates for 5-star characters and grinding up the necessary Ascension materials are not easy feats, and leveling up through Yae Miko's Constellations is important for how well she performs. It also seems like HoYoverse has angered fans by billing these changes as a "fix" when many are perceiving it as a nerf that greatly affects how well she succeeds in combat.
Thankfully, HoYoverse has typically been pretty receptive to fans, so it's possible Yae Miko's changes will be reversed in a future update - or patched in even sooner. For now, though, players who use Yae Miko frequently are likely disappointed by the Sesshou Sakura nerf. Hopefully, this is something that will be fixed in Genshin Impact soon.
